Esther 4

NEW JERUSALEM	LXX
1 When Mordecai learned what had happened, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes.Then he walked into the centre of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly,	1 ο δε μαρδοχαιος επιγνους το συντελουμενον διερρηξεν τα ιματια αυτου και ενεδυσατο σακκον και κατεπασατο σποδον και εκπηδησας δια της πλατειας της πολεως εβοα φωνη μεγαλη αιρεται εθνος μηδεν ηδικηκος
2 until he arrived in front of the Chancel ery, which no one clothed in sackcloth was al owed to enter.	2 και ηλθεν εως της πυλης του βασιλεως και εστη ου γαρ ην εξον αυτω εισελθειν εις την αυλην σακκον εχοντι και σποδον
3 And in every province, no sooner had the royal command and edict arrived, than among the Jews therewas great mourning, fasting, weeping and wailing, and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.	3 και εν παση χωρα ου εξετιθετο τα γραμματα κραυγη και κοπετος και πενθος μεγα τοις ιουδαιοις σακκον και σποδον εστρωσαν εαυτοις
4 When Queen Esther's maids and officers came and told her, she was overcome with grief. She sentclothes for Mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused them.	4 και εισηλθον αι αβραι και οι ευνουχοι της βασιλισσης και ανηγγειλαν αυτη και εταραχθη ακουσασα το γεγονος και απεστειλεν στολισαι τον μαρδοχαιον και αφελεσθαι αυτου τον σακκον ο δε ουκ επεισθη
5 Esther then summoned Hathach, an officer whom the king had appointed to wait on her, and orderedhim to go to Mordecai and enquire what the matter was and why he was acting in this way.	5 η δε εσθηρ προσεκαλεσατο αχραθαιον τον ευνουχον αυτης ος παρειστηκει αυτη και απεστειλεν μαθειν αυτη παρα του μαρδοχαιου το ακριβες
6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the Chancel ery,	6 -
7 and Mordecai told him what had happened to him personally, and also about the sum of money whichHaman had offered to pay into the royal treasury to procure the destruction of the Jews.	7 ο δε μαρδοχαιος υπεδειξεν αυτω το γεγονος και την επαγγελιαν ην επηγγειλατο αμαν τω βασιλει εις την γαζαν ταλαντων μυριων ινα απολεση τους ιουδαιους
8 He also gave him a copy of the edict of extermination published in Susa for him to show Esther for herinformation, with the message that she was to go to the king and implore his favour and plead with him for therace to which she belonged. (a) 'Remember your humbler circumstances,' he said, 'when you were fed by myhand. Since Haman, the second person in the realm, has petitioned the king for our deaths, (b) invoke the Lord,speak to the king for us and save us from death!'	8 και το αντιγραφον το εν σουσοις εκτεθεν υπερ του απολεσθαι αυτους εδωκεν αυτω δειξαι τη εσθηρ και ειπεν αυτω εντειλασθαι αυτη εισελθουση παραιτησασθαι τον βασιλεα και αξιωσαι αυτον περι του λαου μνησθεισα ημερων ταπεινωσεως σου ως ετραφης εν χειρι μου διοτι αμαν ο δευτερευων τω βασιλει ελαλησεν καθ' ημων εις θανατον επικαλεσαι τον κυριον και λαλησον τω βασιλει περι ημων και ρυσαι ημας εκ θανατου
9 Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said;	9 εισελθων δε ο αχραθαιος ελαλησεν αυτη παντας τους λογους τουτους
10 and she replied with the following message for Mordecai,	10 ειπεν δε εσθηρ προς αχραθαιον πορευθητι προς μαρδοχαιον και ειπον οτι
11 'Royal officials and people living in the provinces alike al know that for anyone, man or woman, whoapproaches the king in the private apartments without having been summoned there, there is only one law: hemust die, unless the king, by pointing his golden sceptre towards him, grants him his life. And I have not beensummoned to the king for the last thirty days.'	11 τα εθνη παντα της βασιλειας γινωσκει οτι πας ανθρωπος η γυνη ος εισελευσεται προς τον βασιλεα εις την αυλην την εσωτεραν ακλητος ουκ εστιν αυτω σωτηρια πλην ω εκτεινει ο βασιλευς την χρυσην ραβδον ουτος σωθησεται καγω ου κεκλημαι εισελθειν προς τον βασιλεα εισιν αυται ημεραι τριακοντα
12 These words of Esther were reported to Mordecai,	12 και απηγγειλεν αχραθαιος μαρδοχαιω παντας τους λογους εσθηρ
13 who sent back the fol owing reply, 'Do not suppose that, because you are in the king's palace, you aregoing to be the one Jew to escape.	13 και ειπεν μαρδοχαιος προς αχραθαιον πορευθητι και ειπον αυτη εσθηρ μη ειπης σεαυτη οτι σωθηση μονη εν τη βασιλεια παρα παντας τους ιουδαιους
14 No; if you persist in remaining silent at such a time, relief and deliverance wil come to the Jews fromanother quarter, but both you and your father's whole family wil perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come tothe throne for just such a time as this.'	14 ως οτι εαν παρακουσης εν τουτω τω καιρω αλλοθεν βοηθεια και σκεπη εσται τοις ιουδαιοις συ δε και ο οικος του πατρος σου απολεισθε και τις οιδεν ει εις τον καιρον τουτον εβασιλευσας
15 Whereupon Esther sent this reply to Mordecai,	15 και εξαπεστειλεν εσθηρ τον ηκοντα προς αυτην προς μαρδοχαιον λεγουσα
16 'Go and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day or night for threedays. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the same fast, after which I shal go to the king in spite ofthe law; and if I perish, I perish.'	16 βαδισας εκκλησιασον τους ιουδαιους τους εν σουσοις και νηστευσατε επ' εμοι και μη φαγητε μηδε πιητε επι ημερας τρεις νυκτα και ημεραν καγω δε και αι αβραι μου ασιτησομεν και τοτε εισελευσομαι προς τον βασιλεα παρα τον νομον εαν και απολεσθαι με η
17 Mordecai went away and carried out Esther's instructions. (a) Then cal ing to mind al the wonderfulworks of the Lord, he offered this prayer: (b) Lord, Lord, Almighty King, everything is subject to your power, andthere is no one who can withstand you in your determination to save Israel. (c) You have made heaven andearth, and al the marvels that are under heaven. You are the Master of the universe and no one can resist you,Lord. (d) You know al things, you, Lord, know that neither pride, self-esteem nor vainglory prompted me to dowhat I have done: to refuse to prostrate myself before proud Haman. Gladly would I have kissed the soles of hisfeet, had this assured the safety of Israel. (e) But what I have done, I have done, rather than place the glory of aman above the glory of God; and I shall not prostrate myself to anyone except, Lord, to you, and, in so doing, Ishall not be acting in pride. (f) And now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham spare your people! For our ruin isbeing plotted, there are plans to destroy your ancient heritage. (g) Do not overlook your inheritance, which youredeemed from Egypt to be yours. (h) Hear my supplication, have mercy on your heritage, and turn our grief intorejoicing, so that we may live, Lord, to hymn your name. Do not suffer the mouths of those who praise you toperish. (i) And al Israel cried out with al their might, since death was staring them in the face. (k) Queen Estheralso took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She took off her sumptuous robes andput on sorrowful mourning. Instead of expensive perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dung. Shemortified her body severely, and the former scenes of her happiness and elegance were now littered with tressestorn from her hair. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words: (l) My Lord, our King, the Only One,come to my help, for I am alone and have no helper but you and am about to take my life in my hands. (m) Ihave been taught from infancy in the bosom of my family that you, Lord, have chosen Israel out of al the nationsand our ancestors out of al before them, to be your heritage for ever; and that you have treated them as youpromised. (n) But we have sinned against you and you have handed us over to our enemies for paying honour totheir gods. Lord, you are upright. (o) But they are not satisfied with the bitterness of our slavery: they havepledged themselves to their idols to abolish the decree that your own lips have uttered, to blot out your heritage,to stop the mouths of those who praise you, to quench your altar and the glory of your House, (p) and instead toopen the mouths of the heathen, to sing the praise of worthless idols and for ever to idolise a king of flesh. (q) Donot yield your sceptre, Lord, to what does not exist. Never let our ruin be matter for laughter. Turn these plots against their authors, and make an example of the man who leads the attack on us. (r) Remember, Lord; revealyourself in the time of our distress. As for me, give me courage, King of gods and Master of al powers! (s) Putpersuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into hatred for our enemy, so that hemay meet his end, and al those like him! (t) As for ourselves, save us by your hand, and come to my help, for Iam alone and have no one but you, Lord. (u) You have knowledge of al things, and you know that I hatehonours from the godless, that I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised, of any foreigner whatever. (w) You know Iam under constraint, that I loathe the symbol of my high position bound round my brow when I appear at court; Iloathe it as if it were a filthy rag and do not wear it on my days of leisure. (x) Your servant has not eaten atHaman's table, nor taken pleasure in the royal banquets, nor drunk the wine of libations. (y) Nor has yourservant found pleasure from the day of her promotion until now except in you, Lord, God of Abraham. (z) O God,whose strength prevails over al , listen to the voice of the desperate, save us from the hand of the wicked, andfree me from my fear!	17 και βαδισας μαρδοχαιος εποιησεν οσα ενετειλατο αυτω εσθηρ